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Max Smeets writes on how to determine whether cyber weapons are getting cheaper to acquire

Monday 28th November 2016

iPhoto by the National Guard (CC BY 2.0)

Max Smeets, Research Affiliate of the Cyber Studies Programme, has written an article (21 November) for the website of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank about the question of whether cyber weapons that might be used to attack state infrastructure are getting cheaper, and therefore more available to criminal organisations.

Max writes, “Although there is some general consensus that offensive cyber operations will be less expensive in the future, there is very little understanding of what influences the cost of a cyber weapon. Making sense of the inputs and defensive environment that drive the cost of a cyber weapon is essential to understanding what actors—whether state, non-state, or criminal—will attain what kinds of cyber capability in the future.”